After Monday’s failure, the Flemish government will again look for an agreement on the budget today/Tuesday. From 10 o’clock technical working groups come together and an attempt is made behind the scenes to put the pieces together. It is still unclear when the ministers themselves will sit down again and whether that will be with or without CD&V deputy prime minister Hilde Crevits.
On Monday, the Jambon government failed to reach an agreement on the budget and the accompanying package of energy and purchasing power measures. Prime Minister Jan Jambon had to go to the Flemish Parliament without a September declaration.
There is a new meeting with parliament on Thursday. But then the government has to find a compromise about the growth package, the former child benefit. That file was the major stumbling block last weekend and Monday morning.
CD&V does not only want to reverse the savings on the growth package – last year it was decided to limit the indexation to 1 percent instead of 2 percent – but also wants to link the base amount to the health index. This would mean that the child benefit, just like the benefits, increases with inflation. However, according to N-VA and Open VLD, that scenario is too expensive. They want to intervene more through the social allowances by increasing them and broadening the target group.
“Drawing the Red Line”
CD&V chairman Sammy Mahdi told VTM Nieuws on Monday that he is sticking to linking the growth package to the lifespan. According to Mahdi, his party “besides a pragmatic attitude also has principles”, and “there are times in life when it is so fundamental that you have to draw a red line”.
It remains to be seen whether the Flemish government can pick up the pieces. There is clearly a crisis atmosphere on Martelaarsplein and on Monday the word “break of trust” was also heard. Behind the scenes, working groups are now looking for possible ways to break out of the impasse.
Perhaps the ministers themselves will not sit down again until there is a prospect of a breakthrough. It is also not yet clear whether and when CD&V deputy prime minister Hilde Crevits can join again. She became unwell last weekend and was subsequently replaced by ministers Jo Brouns and Benjamin Dalle.
Prime Minister Jan Jambon is expected to be back in parliament for his September statement at the latest on Thursday at 2 pm.
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